Open Wounds

 Trauma, no matter how small it may seem, is a defining circumstance that shapes every individual. It may be ignored, or glossed over into an invisible scar that we carry with us as we move through life. It may seem unlikely, but we have all faced it at some point. Loss, betrayal, abandonment. It has many forms, which we sadly normalize and push it away without ever addressing it. Instead, we manifest it through the broken bits of our soul, letting it turn our bright moments dark. 

A thorn that pierced through as a child

A cut that seemed harmless at first

Unknown, festering over the years

Into a wound no salve could heal.

It poisoned everything

Love, friendship, intimacy

Buried its roots deep into the mind

Twisted and dark,

Engulfing every happy thought.

Time taken over the years

May have covered it with a scab

But the angry, swollen spirit

Is now toxic, a shadow of what it was born with

Deep and non-healing 

One can only hope

The hurt and sadness will suffocate it

Until there's nothing left

But the remains of an open wound.